Gravitational waves: research at the DZA
Gravitational waves open up a completely new view of the universe for astronomy - this is what is talked about, among other things. Günther Hasinger, scientific director of the DZA, in the new episode of the "Raumzeit" podcast.
Astronomers worldwide are enthusiastic about this field of interest. However, it was only almost eleven years ago that one of Albert Einstein's most spectacular predictions could be made directly in a gravitational wave event on the September 14th 2015 (GW150914): Gravitational waves are tiny vibrations of spacetime, triggered by extreme cosmic events such as the fusion of black holes. Part of the energy from the fusion is released into gravitational waves.
An analogy: The gravitational waves can be compared to a stone that falls into the water. The waves curl around the dive site and spread. On their way, they distort the smooth surface of the water. Back to gravitational waves: They are almost invisible and not noticeable to humans. Nevertheless, they change space-time - they crowd and stretch them. This can be measured with high-precision instruments on Earth.
In the new episode of the "Raumzeit" podcast, presenter Tim Pritlove talks to Günther Hasinger, the scientific director of the German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA).
These questions can be answered in the podcast:
· How are gravitational waves measured?
· What discoveries have been made in the last ten years?
· 200 gravitational wave events – what do we learn from them?
· What role do new observatories and international projects play for the future of astrophysics?
· How can instruments of the next generation - such as the Einstein telescope or the ESA mission LISA - enable even deeper insights into the universe?
Without a doubt, gravitational waves and research on them allow us to dive deeper into the understanding of our universe. We understand better and better and are still confronted with new, mostly technical challenges. The exploration of various messengers of the same origin with the multimessenger astronomy drives the inventive spirit of technologists and engineers and, thus, brings us enlightenment in key questions about space - and relief in life. This is the case when high-tech arrives in everyday life. We are working on this at DZA.
Listen to the current episode now „RZ126 - Gravitationswellenforschung“.